Hold On to Me as We Go
by starsandabutterfly
Summary: After learning about how high risk her pregnancy really was, the doctor had insisted that she live at the Hilltop until the baby was born. Now the time has come for Maggie and the rest of the Rhee family to go home.


"Maggie!"

Glenn's call out startled her, causing her to jump in the rocking chair, which nearly broke Herschel's concentration. Luckily the baby kept drinking, more concerned with nourishment than any potential dangers. Maggie, for better or for worse, felt differently.

"Glenn, you scared the heck out of me! I didn't even know you were in the house!"

"Sorry, sorry," Glenn said, walking around so he was in her line of sight. "I finished with Jesus a few minutes ago, he said we should slip out now while folks are still sleeping and getting chores done. Frankly, I agree. It took so long to say goodbye last night, we don't wanna start them all up again."

"Yeah, you're right. He'll be done in a minute, are you and Enid packed up and ready to go?"

"Uh-huh, we're just waiting on you guys. The slow-pokes in the family."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who just strategized for an hour and a half with Jesus about what's likely gonna be a boring, 15 minute car ride."

Glenn shook his head and she groaned at herself, knowing she just awoke a monster. He said, "Nope, c'mon, we can't think like that. I'm not taking any chances with this trip back to Alexandria. If I have any say, this is going to be Herschel's only time going outside the walls until he's eighteen. We've been out there before, I mean, it's been awhile but we remember what it's like! Danger around every corner! Walkers are a guarantee and like I keep saying, it's only a matter of time before we run into some angry, leftover Saviors. The others did a good job catching them when it all ended but even they admit they didn't get nearly all of them. And then what happens? Think they'll just let us go because we're with, like, the cutest baby in the whole world? You remember what those guys are –"

Maggie let him air out his worries for as long as she could, but there were only so many hours in the day, and she really did want to get back to Alexandria before Herschel, now almost a month old, started walking and talking. She looked down and saw he'd let go of her breast. Perfect timing.

"Hey, hey, babe?" Glenn's eyes comically widened before meeting hers.

He stopped his pacing and shrugged his shoulders, scratching the back of his neck, "I – uh, went to that nervous, panicky Dad-place again, didn't I?"

"Yeah, just a little bit."

"Sorry, I'll work on that."

"Nah, it's okay. Here, hold the baby," she said, putting Herschel in his arms and positioning the burp cloth on his shoulder. The effect on Glenn was immediate: he relaxed and deflated, rocking Herschel in his arms a little while flashing Maggie a sheepish smile. She returned it before saying, "He's about to fall asleep, I'll go get his car seat. Hey, with any luck, he'll sleep through the whole trip!"

"What? But this is gonna be his only car ride until he's eighteen! He can't miss the whole thing!"

"Ha, well, when you go to that Babies R Us next week, make sure to get him one of those toy cars he can drive around. It'll be just like the real thing, he'll love it!" Maggie said as she darted downstairs to grab Herschel's car seat, a hand-me-down from Judith.

Nearly running into Enid on the stairs, her daughter asked, "Hey, I was just about to come see what the holdup was."

"Your dad's neuroses and your brother's appetite. Any questions?" Maggie replied.

"Nah, that sounds about right to me," Enid said, chuckling.

"If you wanna help me get this show on the road, you can bring the car around," she said, handing Enid the keys. She knew it would make Enid happy and they'd been letting Enid practice driving within the walls of the Hilltop for months now.

Predictably, Enid's face light up. "Yes, awesome! Can I drive us back to Alexandria?"

"Oh my god, I'll give you a car of your own right now if you go suggest that to Glenn! Sweetie, he doesn't even trust _me_ to make this drive."

Enid nodded and headed for the door while Maggie brought the car seat upstairs. Herschel was fast asleep, like she knew he'd be, and Glenn was considerably calmer than he had been all morning. With those two developments, the trek to the car was smooth sailing.

Glenn only looked proud when he saw who was driving the car, but said immediately, "Alright, alright, my turn now."

For a second Enid looked like she'd tease him, but she seemed to change her mind. She moved to get into the backseat on the side opposite where Maggie was currently negotiating Herschel's car seat, but Maggie looked up and stopped her.

"Hey, uh, would you maybe mind sitting up front, Enid?"

Raising an eyebrow, she replied with a hesitant, "Sure," and opened the passenger door instead. As she put her feet up on the dashboard and settled in, Glenn looked at Maggie.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, you know, uh, nothing." Maggie tried to look very interested in the car seat, tickling Herschel's tummy as he blearily looked at her, awakened for a moment by all of the commotion.

Glenn shut the driver's door so that Enid couldn't hear as he whispered, "Wow."

"What?" Maggie asked, double checking the car seat once more before shutting the door to the backseat.

"Nothing," Glenn said, a wide smile slowly spreading across his face, "I just think it's pretty funny that you've been trying to convince me that _I'm_ the crazy neurotic parent when you've been worrying just as much as I have."

"Oh, don't you look so happy with yourself, mister."

"But I am! I'm not the crazy one this time! Before you were all like: ' _It's just a fifteen minute car ride, Glenn! We've taken showers for longer than that, honey!'_ And now you're standing here, unable to sit more than two feet away from your baby!"

Maggie groaned inwardly. Her husband was completely right, but she couldn't very well admit how much of a hypocrite she was. Weakly, she protested, "I'm not sittin' in the back because I'm worried, no, I just wanna sit next to him in case he needs something or gets bored…"

Leaning over to look through the window at his son, Glenn said, "Oh, right, of course, how could I be so wrong? Look at him, he's gonna wake up any minute and demand that you sing and dance for his entertainment." Glenn gestured to Herschel who was, predictably, fast asleep again. God, babies really were useless sometimes.

She sighed. There was no winning this one. Glenn seemed to take her expression as a surrender because he didn't push her any further.

His smile softened at the look on her face; his eyes met hers and for a moment, Glenn and Maggie were thinking the exact same thing: _we'll keep him safe._

Glenn reached his hand out and placed it on his wife's shoulder, squeezing it tightly for a perfectly brief moment. A peace offering, even if no war preceded it.

"C'mon," Maggie said, "We should get out of here before the folks here change their minds about letting us leave."

"Well can you blame them? The Rhee's are a pretty awesome family to be around!"

"Whatever, Mr. Rhee, just get in the car."

They were in the car and buckled up in a flash, but Glenn hesitated before starting the car, and after seeing him just staring out the window, Maggie asked, "What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just – I think I might kind of miss this place."

Immediately, Maggie was overcome with a bit of nostalgia for this place that she'd had to reluctantly accept as her home for the past eight months. As eager as she was to live with her friends again, she had made new friends with the residents of the Hilltop. She'd grown used to the slower, relaxed lifestyle, and she'd even miss making fun of Gregory. But more than that, this was her family's first home: it was where she'd gone through the hardest parts of her pregnancy; it was where she'd given birth; it was where she'd truly gotten to understand Enid; it was where she'd grown closer to Glenn than she'd have thought possible. It was home, or, at least, it had been for a little while.

But there was no doubt that they had to leave. She missed Tara, Michonne, Rick, and the others like a hole in her heart. She missed her large, goofy, loud, and dysfunctional family. She knew Enid and Glenn did as well. And she wanted Herschel to grow up with all of the love her friends-turned-family had to offer.

"Alright, say bye to the Hilltop, everybody!" Glenn had recovered by now and was driving away, slowly enough that everyone in the car had the chance to take everything in. As the gates rolled open and they waved goodbye to the person on gate duty and the community in general, Maggie leaned back and waited to be home.

Except for just one thing –

"Glenn! We've said goodbye. It's okay to drive faster than 10 miles an hour!"

"But what about –"

"Glenn!"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you enjoyed!


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